Fire-curtain



r(No Model.)

W. R. MONROE.

PIRE CURTAIN.

No. 445,337. PatentedJan. 27, 1891.

IVILLIAM R. MONROE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

FIRE-CURTAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,337, dated January27, 1891.

Application letl February I7, 1890. Serial No. 340,737. (No model.)

To all whom it muy con/cern:

Be it known that I, WrLLrAM R. MONROE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county 01"; Cuyahoga and State of Ohio,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire-Curtains, ofwhich the following is such a full, clear,and exact description as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to that class of de vices commonly known aslire-curtains, which are designed to protect life and property byconfining a tire which may break out in a building within certain narrowlimits.

The object of my invention is primarily to render the action of such{ire-curtains automatic, whereby they will not depend for theireiiiciency either upon the watchfulness of any person or the ability ofany one to reach them and arrange them properly in time of need, andalso to provide means whereby they may be operated by hand, if thereshould be time.

To this end it consists in the construction of parts hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out definitely in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of my invention properlyarranged and ready for use, and Fig. 2 is a vertical seetional View online 2 of Fig. l.

Referring to the parts by letter, A represents a curtain made of pivotedmetallic slats, woven asbestus, or any other suitable fire-resistingmaterial, arranged above the window it is designed to close, and securedat its upper edge to a roll C, which roll is mounted in suitablebearings. The curtain is rolled upon this roll by hand, or, if desired,by any suitable mechanism, and, when permitted, unrolls by gravity. Itis prevented from thus unrolling by the vertically-placed fusible pin B,which engages with a bracket D and with a socket in the roll O.

In order to provide means whereby the curtain may be lowered before thepin B is melted, the brackets E E are provided with loose bearings forthe roll O, a lever Fis pivoted in proper relation to the roll, andattached to one end of thislever is a block G, in which is formed abearing for one end of the roll. By means of Athe lever F the roll islifted from its bearing in the bracket E to the position shown in thedrawings, where when released by the fusion of the pin B it turns in itsbearings in the bracket- E and block G. rPhe lever F is held in thisposition by means of the cord or rope H, which is fastened at anyconvenient point. W'hen the roll is in the abovedescribed position, thefusible pin B engages in the socket of the roll, thereby preventing itsrevolution; but when the cord II is unfastened the end of the roll Odrops into the bearing in the bracket E', thereby disengaging the rollfrom the pin B and permitting said roll to turn freely in the bracket-sE and E', whereby the curtain falls.

The above-described invention may be placed over doors connectingdifferent parts of a building, and thus assist in preventing the spreadof a fire. The curtains maybe placed around elevator-shafts, or in suchpcsition as to fall across elevator-shafts at iioorlevels. They may alsobe placed over windows, especially such as are adjacent to thetire-escape ladders, whereby the escape down said ladders may not be cutoff bythe iiames and heat from the windows on the lower ioors. They may,in short, be placed in any position where fire-curtains are desirable,with these marked advantages: first, that they will act automatically,and, second, that, in addition to that, they may be operated by hand, ifthere is time.

Having thus described my invention, what I clailn as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-n l. rlhe combination of a iire-resistingcurtain, a roll to which said curtain is secured, brackets secured abovethe opening the curtain is designed to close, bearings in said bracketsin which the roll is mounted, a stationary bracket, a socket in theroll, and a pin of easily-fusible alloy which engages with said bracketand socket, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

` 2. The combination of a re-resisting curtain, a roll to which saidcurtain is secured, brackets secured above the opening the curtain isdesigned to close, loose bearings in vsaid brackets in which the roll ismounted,

IOD

with :L pivote@ lever having secured to one of said fusible pin withsaid bracket and end L bearing-blocl ,i11\vhch one end of said socket,substantially as and for the purpose :roll is j ourualed, a stationarybracket, 2L socket specified.

in the roll, a pin of easily-fusible alloy which VILLIAM R. MONROE. 5engages with said bracket and socket, and Witnesses:

mechanism for holding said lever in the po- E. L. THURSTON,

sition necessary to continue the elxgafgement F. K. NEVINS.

